


crush

by dickgrayscn



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Inspired by Johnny's Communication Center (NCT), Jealousy, M/M, One Shot, Pining, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26815639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dickgrayscn/pseuds/dickgrayscn
Summary: Wait. Why was he so bothered in the first place? Donghyuck was a teenage boy. Of course he had needs and desires. He’s displaying the typical tendencies of a young male undergoing puberty. It would actually be more concerning if he didn’t have a crush at this point.or: Mark finds out Donghyuck has a crush on somebody and proceeds to lose his mind
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 11
Kudos: 249





	crush

**Author's Note:**

> hello fellow markdongies all over the world. this is my fanfiction debut cuz i love markhyuck so much i just needed to feel something. hope u all enjoy

“So, do you? Have a crush on me?” Donghyuck’s muffled voice rings through the receiver. Mark gulps, taking a deep breath. 

✤✤✤

Mark and Donghyuck were used to playing it up for the cameras. 

It started when they were rookies. Sure they were close, but they were good friends with everyone else in the group too. It just so happened that their managers had decided to put them together for one of those predebut promotional videos, and the fan response was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone lost their minds at these two babies who seemed to have so much natural chemistry. Thus, the glorious birth of #markhyuck, or #mahae, or #markdong—whatever you wanted to call it—As long as you shared the fandom’s collective love for this beautiful ship known as Mark x Haechan. 

  
  
  


**mark’s whore** : omggg you guys are so cute 

**markdongluver00:** MARKHYUCK NATION RISE

 **fullsunflower:** cutiesss i love you 

**daddymark:** I WANT SOMEONE TO LOOK AT ME THE WAY MARK LOOKS AT HAECHAN :’(((( 

There were at least 200 comments pouring in per second for the vlive, but Mark manages to catch glimpses here and there. Hmmmm… how _did_ he look at Hyuck? He turns right at the moment Hyuck leans in, holding a specific comment for him to see.

**mark’s anus hole:** if u had teeth in ur butthole would u go to the dentist or the surgeon 

Donghyuck doubles over in uncontrollable laughter, throwing his head back and clutching at Mark’s arm, and Mark finds himself mesmerised, staring stupidly for a second. 

And _then_ he realises he’s staring. 

Oh no, what if he did look at Donghyuck a different way? 

Well that must mean he’s getting really comfortable in his onscreen persona as Donghyuck’s ambiguous best-friend-that-could-be-something-more, maybe all those acting classes SM forced him and Taeyong to take before debut really paid off, maybe he’s just a natural and he should definitely get nominated for an academy right now because damn he’s such a good actor, oh wow what a jaw-dropping performance, good job Mark I wonder when’s your acting debut, SM please I’m begging… 

“Mark? Did you see what I just showed you?” Donghyuck nudges him before showing him more comments.

**baekhyunshole:** mouthwash should come out of the bidet instead of water

 **jaemjenluv:** i’m talking about the butthole teeth too okay so the teeth are in your butt you clearly have to go to the anal surgeon why would you go to the dentist have they seen a butthole before? 

  
  


Well, it’s not like Mark is really acting all the time. Him and Donghyuck have definitely gotten closer since pre-debut—it’s a bit hard not to, considering they spend every second of every day together. Plus, the gods at SM had brilliantly decided to put them both in two units together… It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the fans “ship” them as hard as they do. 

Mark loves his bandmates; over the years, he’s spent time with and bonded with everyone from both units, and he considers them all his good friends. But if he had to pick a best friend, it’d definitely be Donghyuck. The two of them had joined the company at almost the same time and trained together the longest. Donghyuck was the person he was most comfortable with, the one he could tell anything to and not be afraid of judgement. Mark just assumed Donghyuck saw him the same way.

Which is why he’s so shocked when he learns that Donghyuck has a crush on someone, and doesn’t tell Mark about it. 

It happened at Chenle’s 16th birthday celebration. The Dreamies sat in a circle and passed around a single bottle of Soju, and being the dumb kids that they were, someone suggests a game of truth or dare. It was a silly little game and Mark almost zones out. Almost, until it got to Donghyuck’s turn. 

“Truth or dare?” 

“Dare.” 

Of course Donghyuck would pick dare—he’d never back down from a challenge. He’d do the most absurd things just for shits and giggles. 

Jaemin and Jeno exchange mysterious glances, and Jisung snickers. Mark is suddenly wide awake anticipating the kind of mischief they have planned.

“I dare you... to tell us who your crush is!” Jaemin coos, poking at Donghyuck’s cheeks. 

And that’s when Mark feels all the blood in his body come to a standstill. 

...Crush? 

Donghyuck… has a crush? 

Donghyuck likes someone?

As in, LIKE like?

Mark feels like the human personification of a car crash. He’s pretty sure his brain has just short-circuited, and he silently prays that no one is paying attention because he’s pretty sure his face is about to catch fire. Okay, at least if the others notice he can blame it on the alcohol. (What alcohol? The seven of them shared ONE soju.) 

He’s so caught up in his own brain that he doesn’t notice that the snickering in the room has died down. Hyuck gets up and spins the bottle. It lands on Jeno. 

Wait, did Donghyuck answer the question? Who does he have a crush on? 

Mark couldn’t stop thinking about it as he laid awake in bed at 3am that night. He knew he should get some sleep ahead of the schedule they had the next day, but no matter how much he tossed around, he couldn’t get his brain to shut up. Who did Donghyuck have a crush on? 

Wait. Why was he so bothered in the first place? Donghyuck was a teenage boy. Of course he had needs and desires. He’s displaying the typical tendencies of a young male undergoing puberty. It would actually be more concerning if he _didn’t_ have a crush at this point. 

And why does he even care so much? It was none of his business. Donghyuck can like whoever he wants to like… what does that have to do with Mark? 

He kicks at his blankets angrily, burning a hole through the ceiling with his eyes. Why was he so hung up about this? Hey, if he had a crush on someone he would definitely confide in Donghyuck. Why didn’t Donghyuck tell him about it? Did Donghyuck not trust him enough? 

Oh. Maybe that’s why he was so bothered. 

Satisfied with the consensus, Mark adjourns the meeting in his head, squeezing his eyes shut and praying for some sleep. 

The managers knew exactly what they were doing to the fans when they arranged a couple photoshoot for Mark and Donghyuck. Well, it wasn’t explicitly labelled a couple photoshoot. Not exactly.

They were ordered to stand with their backs pressed against each other, and they happily comply, putting on their best vogue face. But after a few shots and changes in poses, the photographer sighs in exasperation, calling for a break. They weren’t achieving the _vibe_ that he was going for. Uh, what was he going for again? 

“How about this?” Donghyuck suggests, and then he turns to face Mark, takes a step closer and leans his head on Mark’s shoulder. 

_Um._

Mark is suddenly hyper-aware of how close Donghyuck is. 

His head spins, and he’s not sure he likes it. An uncomfortable feeling springs up in his chest and he desperately hopes Donghyuck couldn’t hear the sudden spike in his heart rate, which seemed very plausible from his vantage point pressed up against mark. Suddenly, he’s not sure where to put his hands, unable to do anything but stand stiffly. 

“That’s a good idea. Let’s try that, but first, Mark, you’ve gotten loosen up. Unclench, if you will.” 

Mark shakes himself out of his stupor right as Donghyuck steps away, taking one look at his face and bursting into laughter. 

“Hyung, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” 

Yeah, Mark knows he overreacted. In retrospect, he realises they’ve done this a million times—on camera, off camera, it didn’t matter. Donghyuck’s love language was physical affection and he loved to smother people. It was just a part of who he was, and Mark had long grown used to it. Leaning his head on Mark’s shoulder? It was no different from usual, and they’ve done far more scandalous things for fanservice. It wasn’t any different, but why did it feel so different?

The rest of the photoshoot went by in a blur, but the conference in Mark’s brain itched to resume. He could barely keep the chorus of voices at bay as he posed and posed and posed. Professionalism, Mark. You can do this. 

Does Donghyuck think about leaning his head on his crush’s shoulder too? Who does Donghyuck have a crush on? 

“Helloooo… Earth to Mark, Mork, Lee Mark, Makeusu…” 

Mark blinks. He’s met with concerned looks from Yuta and Johnny, who’d apparently both finished their burgers. Meanwhile, his food had barely been touched.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today. Is everything okay?”

Johnny moves to sit closer to him and throws an arm around his shoulder, while Yuta nods, giving him a fist bump. “You know you can talk to us about anything.” 

“Um… did you guys know that Donghyuck has a crush on someone?” He blurts. Johnny was Donghyuck’s roommate. If Donghyuck was acting strange and daydreaming about someone, Johnny would know, right? 

“Well…”

“I mean… nope, we didn’t? I think.” Yuta drawls, exchanging an odd glance with Johnny. 

What kind of answer was that? Mark is too confused and tired to try and figure out what that was supposed to mean. 

“Who is it? Is it one of the female trainees? I don’t remember Donghyuck ever mentioning anything about them though. But I think he’s really good friends with that girl who was in his class in high school. What was her name again? Yeri?”

He freezes. “Oh my god, does Donghyuck have a crush on Yeri?” 

It felt so good to finally put a voice to all the thoughts that had been swirling around in his mind for the past week, and Mark almost heaves a sigh of relief, before realising he’s oversharing. To their credit, Yuta and Johnny didn’t judge him. 

“I think the real question, Mark, is why you’re so worked up about it.”

“Yeah, I mean… this doesn’t seem like it’s just some silly gossip for you.” 

Mark stills. Yuta and Johnny were being extremely unhelpful right now with their weird psychoanalysis, but he does realise one thing. His brain probably isn’t going to give him a break until he finds out who this elusive crush of Donghyuck really is. So he intends to find out. 

“Does Donghyuck have a crush on Yeri?” He randomly asks Taeyong one day while practising for their dance break, vaguely remembering that they were good friends. 

“What?” 

“Does Donghyuck have a crush on Yeri?”

“No I mean I heard you the first time, I was just shocked. Does he?? Oh my god. That’s SO CUTE!!” Taeyong gushes excitedly, completely ditching the routine. 

Okay, so Taeyong definitely doesn’t know anything... Mark moves on to his next target. 

“What do you mean Donghyuck has a crush on Yeri, I thought he-“ 

“Shhhh!” Doyoung slams a hand against Taeil’s mouth.

Huh… Why were his hyungs acting so damn strange? 

Mark shakes his head, stupefied. He didn’t want to ask the Dreamies because then they’d ask why he wasn’t paying attention during the truth or dare game, and he had no idea how to answer that without drawing suspicion on himself. Either that or they’d ask him why he was asking again even after knowing the answer from the game. It was a lose-lose situation, and Mark realises he was running out of options. 

He gave himself three weeks to get over whatever it is he needed to get over (he still had no idea). But three weeks came and went, and he realises the concept of Donghyuck had become even more warped in his mind. 

  
  
Jungwoo is in the middle of explaining his KartRider techniques to Mark when he realises Mark probably hasn’t heard a single word. He pauses and looks over to where Mark’s eyes have lingering for the past five minutes—Ah, of course. Nothing surprising. 

“He’s so whipped,” Jaehyun sits down next to him, offering a bottle of water before they have to resume rehearsing. Jungwoo cocks an eyebrow. “Anyway, here’s how I won the items race in KartRider…” 

Is it just him or has Donghyuck become prettier nowadays? Well, Donghyuck has always been pretty, but something’s changed in the past three weeks. It’s like the aura of sunshine that normally surrounded him was even brighter than usual, his infectious laughter infiltrating every corner of Mark’s body, and Mark finds it harder and harder to tear his eyes off the boy. He catches himself noticing the strangest details—the way Donghyuck’s moles stood out against his bronze skin when it wasn’t covered by layers of concealer, the drops of sweat glistening in his hair after a particularly grueling dance practice, the way his eyes lit up whenever the boys laughed at his jokes… 

Donghyuck notices him zoning out and immediately seizes the chance to come and terrorise him, throwing an arm around his shoulder and attempting to kiss his cheeks. Mark immediately flinches away, the blood draining from his face. And then for some stupid godforsaken reason, he’s reminded of Donghyuck’s “crush” again—does he also want to kiss his crush the same way? 

There was no way he could rationalise this unhealthy obsession with Donghyuck’s mystery “crush” anymore—no one else was even talking about it, not even the Dreamies. But whenever he looked at Donghyuck, an annoying voice at the back of his mind would gently remind him of it, and he’d feel a nasty pang in his chest, souring his mood immediately. 

It got to the point where even bumping into Yeri in the elevator left him reeling, and that’s when he knew he needed to stop. He knew he’d essentially made up this whole thing about her being Donghyuck’s crush and he was just channeling his frustration towards an innocent bystander. The poor girl probably didn’t even know what was going on, and here was Mark Lee giving her a stank eye on a regular Wednesday morning. But Mark couldn’t help it, he just couldn’t stand the idea of Donghyuck liking her.

And if he didn’t like her, then who was this crush and what did they do to make someone like Donghyuck like them? What did they have that he didn’t? 

Were they better looking than him? Smarter? Kinder? Better at rapping? Better at giving hugs?

What did they have that Mark didn’t? 

As he enters the filming room with the 127 hyungs, he pulls himself together, mentally preparing for the excruciating prospect of sitting next to Donghyuck for the next hour. Yet another _weird_ thought with no rational explanation—that seemed to happen way too much lately. 

Donghyuck was his friend, and they should be used to hanging out together. What could possibly be so bad about sitting next to him? Except something seemed to have changed in the past few weeks; he'd found himself gradually pulling away when they’re not being filmed, desperately trying to put any kind of distance between them to avoid the boy’s usual over-the-top displays of affection. He couldn’t stop the weird feelings constricting in his chest whenever he was within close proximity of Donghyuck, and the fact that Donghyuck somehow became prettier just added unnecessary fuel to the fire. When did the thought of seeing his best friend start striking him with such unbridled anxiety? 

As it turns out, Mark was worrying for no reason again. Donghyuck doesn’t even sit remotely close to him, waltzing instead to the other end of the table. 

A tiny feeling of disappointment rises in him, and Mark frowns. Just a moment ago he was hoping against hope for Donghyuck to leave him alone, and now his brain is whining that Donghyuck wasn’t giving him attention. Yeah, Mark thinks he might actually need a proper psychoanalysis session with Johnny and Yuta.

“We’re also really excited to show you guys Baby Don’t Like It. In fact, Taeyong and Mark participated in writing the lyrics for this song. Mark?”

“The lyrics are similar to what he says to me in our room,” Donghyuck cuts in before Mark could answer, a smug smile dancing on his lips. 

The room erupts in a chorus of cheers and cooing, and that’s it. Mark laughs nervously feeling like his brain is about to explode again. 

What the hell was Donghyuck talking about? Why would he say something like that, knowing the connotations of the song? 

But the more he thought about it, the more he realises he wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. The truth was that he didn’t have a specific person in mind while writing the lyrics, but applying those connotations to Donghyuck… 

They were at a fanmeet one day when Mark figures he’s screwed. It was just another regular fanmeet, and Donghyuck stands next to him as they wave enthusiastically at the sea of dancing green lights. The energy in the room was incredible, and Mark feels giddy with the adrenaline soaring through his veins. 

And then Donghyuck leans in to whisper something against his ear, his breath tickling his neck. 

The fans lose their minds screaming, and Mark feels the pit of his stomach falling through the floor, the realisation hitting him like a wave of ice cold water.

All those years of excessive heart eyes and snuggling up to each other on camera must have messed with his mind; Him and Donghyuck were just friends; always have been, never will be more. Sure, they play it up for the fans all the time, but they both knew they never saw each other differently. It shouldn’t matter to Mark whether Donghyuck likes someone else or not, and it shouldn’t matter if Donghyuck is physically affectionate. They were just _friends_. 

He needed to go back to the way things were before that stupid game of truth or dare, which in retrospect didn’t even guarantee that Donghyuck liked anybody—what if Jaemin was just messing around, and there really was no crush? What if Mark just got sent on a wild goose chase, except no one sent him, he just voluntarily ran around like an idiot and made a fool of himself. 

Donghyuck was just a friend to him, nothing more. Mark was just acknowledging the objective fact that he is in fact very attractive, and jealous that he’d found someone when Mark hadn’t. That was all. 

But the word “friends” left a bitter taste in his mouth, and deep down, Mark knew exactly why.

“Damn Mark, you’re thinking so loudly today...” Johnny supplies unhelpfully. 

They were filming an episode of Johnny’s Communication Center today, and the concept was of remaking Freaky Friday, except theirs was gonna be titled “Freaky Handshake”. It actually sounded kinda fun—Mark just had to live in the moment and stop thinking about Donghyuck, goddammit. 

“Hmmm… Something more… energetic,”

“You want to go paragliding?”

“Nah something more… Exciting,”

“Dude, let’s make a handshake.” 

Mark couldn’t get through the takes without laughing—it was just so ridiculously hilarious and the fact that they were freestyling made it even funnier. They tried several different lines of dialogue and Mark quickly got more comfortable bouncing off ideas of Johnny, glad for the fact that none of it was scripted so all their reactions were natural. This was actually the most fun he’s had in a while, and Mark was really glad he agreed to do this with Johnny. He finds himself relaxing for the first time in what feels like forever. 

And then Johnny decides to screw him over. 

They’d wrapped up the introduction and the handshake—now they just had to film the part where Johnny and Mark actually switch bodies and they question each other to confirm their theory. 

“When’s my mom’s birthday?” 

“On my birthday, August 2nd.” 

“Do I have a crush on Donghyuck?” 

✤✤✤

Mark feels the dread building in his stomach as the seconds seemed to stretch into minutes. The clock strikes 8pm, and he refreshes his Youtube page. 

There it was.

_Making a Mini Movie with MK | Johnny’s Communication Center (JCC) Ep. 18_

He couldn’t stop the trembling in his hands as he clicked on the video, immediately fast-forwarding through the filming of the first act, holding his breath as he watched the scene play out on the screen in front of him.

“When’s my mom’s birthday?”

“On my birthday, August 2nd.” 

“Hyung, I think we’ve switched bodies!” 

They hadn’t included it after all. 

It wasn’t like he’d had a total mental breakdown in the middle of filming—the question had caught him off guard and he hadn’t been able to respond for a solid 10 seconds, but the professionalism and training had kicked in immediately, numbing the shockwaves of panic spreading through his body. He’d faked a laugh, and Johnny seemed to have sensed his discomfort, quickly moving on and changing the question. 

From an outsider’s perspective, it was just two friends screwing around and making harmless jokes and Mark’s reaction fit perfectly with the narrative. But he knew someone like Donghyuck would see right through the practised laughter. 

He’d contemplated talking to the editors and convincing them to leave the part out—the managers weren’t terrible people and wouldn’t disrespect their boundaries if they asked. But he really didn’t want to make it a bigger deal than it was. It was supposed to just be two friends joking around; What if no one cared at first but started wondering after Mark brought it up specifically? What if they got too curious and discovered his secret? It was better to pretend like nothing unusual had happened than to draw unnecessary attention. 

So he’d kept his mouth shut, furiously praying that the universe would be on his side and no one would discover his almost-slip up. 

And the universe seemed to have listened. Mark closes his eyes and falls back onto his pillow, the overwhelming relief washing over him. Whatever this was, he’d get over it eventually. He had to. Him and Donghyuck were still the #markhyuck that they’ve always been. Nothing’s gonna change. 

His phone buzzes—it was a text from Johnny.

_Mark, I’m so sorry!!!_

He barely has time to register the words before his screen lights up with a call. 

  
  
“So, do you? Have a crush on me?” Donghyuck’s muffled voice rings through the receiver. Mark gulps, taking a deep breath. 

**Author's Note:**

> so does mark have a crush on donghyuck? idk???? lmfao 
> 
> btw I love johnny so much sorry he had to pull that move on mark in the jcc thing but im not sorry i still love him though. also the teeth in asshole thing is from the boyz lol shoutout to them the clip was rly so funny i died


End file.
